Comcast/Time Warner merger now facing scrutiny from states

Maybe it’s the fact that together they’d own a third of the nation’s broadband infrastructure, or that it would mean one less cable provider option for customers, or that both parties involved have been nominated for the “Worst Company in America 2014” award , but for whatever reason, the proposed merger of the cable heavyweights Time Warner Cable and Comcast has plenty of opponents and is expected to receive considerable scrutiny from regulatory agencies.

Now in addition to federal agencies, states are lining up to run the proposed deal through the ringer.

On Mar. 19, Florida announced that it would join the Department of Justice in vetting whether or not the Comcast/TWC merger is legal under antitrust regulations. The Florida attorney general’s office said in an email to Reuters that, “"We are part of a multistate group reviewing the proposed transaction along with the U.S. DOJ Antitrust Division."

Indiana similarly issued a statement that it would investigate the impact of the deal on its citizens, and Pennsylvania also announced its intention to launch a review into the case.

Comcast and TWC contend that because they do not have territory overlap that the merger would not technically reduce the number of competitors in any single area. But for consumer advocates who are already displeased with the number of service providers, nationwide the conglomeration raises concerns regardless.

One person certainly vested in the swift and clean finalization of the deal is sitting Time Warner CEO Rob Marcus, who stands to make a $79.9 million severance payment as a golden parachute for agreeing to the Comcast buy out.

For more on the deal, and cable infrastructure check out these stories: